Phish just wrapped up their third night here at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. I’ve been loving the shows so far and glad I got to travel here to take them in, what a run so far. Tonight’s was perhaps the exception in the best way possible, as both Set I and Set II both had some insane highlights worth noting. I definitely need to re-listen to this show right away.
The show kicked off with “Cavern” which can definitely be a sign that even the warm-up song is going to get a little interesting on Night #3. “Beauty Of My Dreams” kept the energy ramping up a bit before the band dropped back down into “If I Could”, an absolutely stunning rendition. Trey perfectly nailed the guitar lines at the end of the studio version of that song and given that they hadn’t played it in about 160 shows or so, that makes for a solid execution by all standards all around.
“Weigh” got people stoked hard, as fans are always missing the Rift classic and always wishing it was played more than once a year or so. Then “Sand” knocked everyone on their butts. The energy at that version peaked was undeniably strong, the audience was just totally locked in with what the band was delivering. Great “Back on the Train” got people grooving, “Martian Monster” was fun and definitely smelled like space, but the 25 minute “Mercury” that followed things up got deep and almost felt like three separate songs or movements. Definitely worth a relisten there in spot. “Suzy Greenberg” closed things off and people were sent to the bathroom lines in awe.
Set II kicked off with a tune I called three minutes before lights went down, “Soul Planet”. Great version, nice jam, and a solid dissipation before the band got “Down with Disease” going. Definitely some extra Trey vibes on this one to get the crowd ramped up, and don’t skip on the “Oye Como Va” jam that got me actually thinking we were about see Santana take the stage. “Guyute” was a fun excursion and “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley > Light > Slave to the Traffic Light” in perhaps a perfect three-song representation of what Phish does best. What a set.
For the encore, Trey got on drums and “Hold Your Head Up” started slow, even re-starting a bit after Fishman needed a reminder on the lyrics to “Bike” to start on. I don’t think I had ever caught one before so I had a blast seeing it. Fish went extra wild on this one, too, even getting on Page’s grand piano at the end. And before the band finished off with “Good Times Bad Times” Trey joked about having to follow up “Bob Weaver” (aka Fishman). A classic Phishy hijinx moment that put the cap on a perfect Phishy show. One of the best shows I’ve seen for sure.
SETLISTS: NIGHT ONE | NIGHT TWO | NIGHT THREE | NIGHT FOUR
The band was webcasting to the fans at home via LivePhish.com. Scroll down to check out what the band played.
SETLIST: Phish @ MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV 11.2.18
Set I: Cavern, Beauty of My Dreams, If I Could, Weigh, Sand, Back on the Train, Martian Monster, Mercury -> Suzy Greenberg
Set II: Soul Planet > Down with Disease* > Guyute, Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley > Light > Slave to the Traffic Light
Encore: Hold Your Head Up > Bike > Hold Your Head Up, Good Times Bad Times
* – with heavy “Oye Como Va” teases, I thought Santana was gonna come out
